People often ask me why I decided to start my own business and why I chose the world of cloud computing.
In the past, I went through a complete overhaul of my employer's infrastructure. It was costing more than $70,000 per month, and to me, that made no sense.
I migrated our professional environment from Windows/Broadcom/Hyper-V to a Linux system built around open-source technologies.
The result was an infrastructure that cost around $15,000 per month, with more resources and more control over the budget.
The Turning Point
Not long after, I lost my job due to budget cuts.
It was a tough moment, but it planted a seed in my mind.
I told myself, if I managed to save one company $720,000 a year, I can do the same for others.
So I began helping people on Reddit with their OpenStack issues, hoping to meet companies looking for a consultant.
A Hard Lesson Learned
That is when I met a young cybersecurity startup.
The platform had potential, and joining them meant I could build on something instead of starting from scratch.
After several conversations, we agreed on a verbal deal of 20%, with the intention to make it official later.
I gave everything I had: I helped make the platform more professional, grow its strategy, attract clients, and build an online presence.
I naturally took the CTO role since I was the most technical one, but I often had to take on leadership tasks as well.
Over time, I realized that our values and vision were not the same.
I suggested a new structure so everyone could focus on their strengths.
Eventually, I was pushed out of the project without my agreement being honored.
I had worked without salary, invested my own savings and time, and ended up with nothing tangible.
That experience was expensive, but it taught me the most important lesson of my career: never move forward without something clear and written.
Out of Failure, Patrii Was Born
Out of that lesson came the idea for Patrii Cloud, a cloud made by us and for us.
I chose the name Patrii because it represents our desire to build a real digital homeland.
Our technology is based on open-source foundations, but some features remain proprietary to ensure better performance and adaptability.
We want to bring people together around a common goal:
👉 true sovereignty of data and technology in Canada
👉 and to repatriate the money that leaves Canadian businesses, so we can reinvest it in local jobs and Canadian intellectual property.
Why Two "i" in Patrii?
People often ask why there are two "i" in Patrii.
At first, it was practical because the domains .ca and .com were taken.
But later, those two "i" came to represent people — the people of our Patrii.
Because we know we cannot do this alone. It will take a collective movement of entrepreneurs and builders who believe in this mission.
Join the Mission
So if my story speaks to you, if you share this vision, reach out.
And if it can help one more entrepreneur avoid losing time and energy, share it.
Sometimes, our greatest setbacks are simply the beginning of our greatest creations.
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Patrii Cloud Team